-Caveat Lector- from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS subject: AANEWS for August 26, 1999 A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S #630~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8/26/99 http://www.atheists.org ftp.atheists.org/pub/atheists/ http://www.americanatheist.org --------------------------------------------- A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS "Leading The Way For Atheist Civil Rights And The Separation Of State and Church" ---------------------------------------------- In This Issue... * Judge halts voucher program in Cleveland * Southern Regional Atheist Meet, September 26 in Chattanooga * Dobson claims pastors vulnerable to smut surfing! * Jersey Atheist group organizing * Resources * About this list... GRUDGE MATCH LOOMING IN COURT AS JUDGE BLOCKS CLEVELAND VOUCHER PROGRAM FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS In a major setback to government funding of private, sectarian schools, a U.S. District Court has put the brakes on Cleveland's voucher programming, saying that it violated the separation of church and state. The action put an immediate freeze on payments to the parents of some 4,000 students covered by the four-year old program who attend 56 private schools in the metropolitan area. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspapers, more than half of those students are in schools operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. As a result of the decision, parents who have children in the voucher schools will be responsible for any tuition if they decide to keep their youngsters enrolled. Public school classes began yesterday, and a spokesperson for the Cleveland school system that that there was "no problem" in absorbing new students from the religious and private schools. U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr. ruled on Tuesday that "The Cleveland program has the primary effect of advancing religion," and noted that the voucher program "provided unrestricted grants to parents as tuition reimbursement for their children to attend nonpublic schools, the bulk of which is concededly sectarian in orientation." Oliver's decision had mixed impact on parents and students participating in voucher schools. As of Wednesday, classes at 20 of the 56 schools covered by the program had resumed; in some cases, like St. Francis School, parents were told that they would not be held liable for any tuition fees during the legal appeal to the judge's ruling. Sister Karen Somerville, principle at the school warned, that "If it doesn't get overturned, the parents may have to pay," but added: "Judging from the phone calls I'm getting, parents will do everything they can to keep their child here." The Cleveland voucher plan began as an "experiment" four years ago, and provides mostly lower-income families with up to $2.250 per child that can be used for tuition at private and sectarian schools. The first payments for this year's program are due in October; but Judge Oliver opined that he was unlikely to reconsider his ruling. The Cleveland program was considered a pioneering experiment, and was the first voucher program to fund religious schools. An earlier voucher scheme in Milwaukee which began in 1990 excluded sectarian schools, but included Parochial and other religious schools once the Cleveland program was established. Reacting to Wednesday's ruling, Ohio Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery filed an emergency appeal with the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Judge Oliver's decision was also criticized by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which in an editorial titled "Voucher vulture," said that the "last-minute" ruling inconvenienced families and schools because of "an act of arrogance, carelessness and utter disregard for the needs of children across the city." But opponents of the voucher program had warned for years that it could be found unconstitutional, and have a negative impact on Cleveland's already cash-strapped public school system. In addition, state education officials had recommended removal of three private schools from coverage by the program due to unsafe conditions and unlicensed staff members. A Blatant Religious Message... Oliver's opinion included citation of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION v. NYQUIST, where a New York State law establishing vouchers for private schools was invalidated. The high court noted that the program advanced religion and violated the establishment clause of the Constitution since most of the schools receiving public monies were sectarian. Oliver said that a similar situation existed in the Cleveland scheme, and pointed to a section of a handbook for parents from one voucher school which decreed, "a child needs to hear and learn the word of God constantly, and this can be done only when the entire curriculum and the life of the school is grounded in the word of God and dedicated to the purpose of showing the love of the Savior to a world which without Him, would be lost forever." Fallout from Judge Oliver's ruling may also confirm the dependency of religious schools on state aid. In addition to the majority of the schools covered by the voucher system being affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, "Nearly all of the 56 private schools that planned to participate in the voucher program offer religious instruction," noted the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A principal at one voucher school operated by Westside Baptist Christian Church said that it may not be able to survive without government assistance, and that more than 25% of enrolled students attend thanks to the help of voucher scholarships. Legal Grudge Match Looming In additional to pointing out the First Amendment problems with voucher programs, Judge Oliver's decision is also significant since it halts a program that has been operating for four years. It is only the second time a Federal court has considered the issue of vouchers; the first case was earlier this year when a request by three families in Maine to use public money for tuition at a Roman Catholic school was denied. In May, the Ohio State Supreme Court struck down vouchers, but based its decision mainly on the technicality that the legislation establishing the program was illegal since it was a budgetary amendment rather than a separate bill. The state is asking the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to freeze Oliver's ruling and allow the voucher program to operate as an appeal is launched. A decision on allowing the program to continue could come this week. Voucher programs are underway elsewhere as well; in Florida, that state's voucher scheme is already being challenged after being implemented by the legislature. As legal challenges reach federal courts, it becomes increasingly likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually be forced to decide whether or not programs in Cleveland and other states do, in fact, violate the separation of church and state. ** SOUTHERN REGIONAL ATHEIST MEET (RAM) SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 IN CHATTANOOGA, TN. Mark your calendar, and plan to get there -- by car, plane, or even the famous choo-choo. American Atheists will host the Southern Regional Atheist Meet (RAM) on Sunday, September 26 in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the beautiful Radisson Read House at 827 Broad Street. The Regional Atheist Meet (RAM) is a one-day conference organized by American Atheists which features lectures, panels and social events. Speakers for the Southern RAM include: * Ellen Johnson, President of American Atheists speaking on "The Need for Atheist Activism." * Carletta Sims, Tennessee State Director, American Atheists. Ms. Sims will discuss her role as an activist defending the wall of separation between church and state in the Bible belt. * Allen Snyder, Department of Philosophy at West Virginia University will discuss his intellectual journey toward Atheism. * Michael Chandler, Assistant Vice Principle will discuss his fight to preserve the First Amendment in DeKalb County, Alabama schools. * Conrad Goeringer, Contributing Editor and Staff Writer for American Atheist Magazine will speak on "Apocalypse Now? Date-Setting, 'Signs & Wonders,' the Antichrist and Other Artifacts of the Millenarian Imagination." and... * A special guest appearance by a leading constitutional attorney who will address the problems encountered with state and countries infringing on the Bill of Rights!. Check your membership newsletter or the American Atheists web site at http://www.atheists.org/tn/ for more details -- but mark your calendar now, and plan on attending the Southern RAM! ** DOBSON GROUP: CHRISTIAN PASTORS "ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE" TO SECRET SMUT SURFING, PORN One would think that a regimen of prayer and total immersion in the religious lifestyle would distract one from the temptations of the flesh. Not so say Promise Keepers cheerleader Jack Hayford, family values guru James Dobson, and a growing chorus of men of the cloth. Religion Today news service reports, "The temptation to indulge in pornography, and become addicted 'is increasingly a problem' among Christian leaders," according to Steve Waters, an analyst for Dobson's Focus on the Family group in Colorado. Waters adds that a steady flow of letters and phone calls to the Focus group confirms the gravity of the problem, and that the villains responsible are cable television and the internet. Indeed, Jack Hayford -- a "signs and wonders" evangelist active in the Promise Keepers movement told a PK rally in Hartford, Conn. recently that he was tempted just by flipping the television channels -- supposedly for CNN and ESPN -- when he happened to run across a scrambled X-rated program. "As the fleeting image of a naked woman crossed the screen," noted Religion Today, "he (Hayford) continued flipping channels, but wondered what was on the X-rated Station." Hayford told his fellow PKers, "I know the channel number still, but it doesn't even tempt me, brother." Or does it? The Focus group, sensing a growing problem with the "vulnerability" of Christian leaders to pornography, says that stress is somehow responsible for this seduction of the flesh. "Pastors as a group can be drained in their role as shepherds," declared Waters.. "After a long weekend of giving, there is no one around on Monday morning to talk to. Now something that has been off-limits is available privately. It seems like a safe area to explore. Some justify their exploring by wanting to know what the problem is all about, and then get sucked in themselves." As a result, Dobson has organized a Focus-sponsored website known as Pure Intimacy, and expanded portions of his "Pasonage" internet page to warn visitors, including fellow clergy, about the alleged seductive potency of pornography. "1 in every 7 calls we receive on our pastoral care line is regarding Internet pornography," Dobson claims. "Some of the counseling centers we are in touch with who specialize in clergy addiction are booked up months in advance with pastor clients." Factors contributing to this are "Thousands of pornographic websites," the private and confidential nature of internet surfing, the accessibility of pornography and the fact, according to Dobson, that "Men are the most vulnerable to visual images." Another section on the "Parsonage" page adds that "Many offenses occur in the pastor's study at church during working hours..." But beyond Dobson's claims and some anecdotal testimony from Christian celebrities, there is little evidence to support the notion that clergy are more "vulnerable" to smut surfing than any other occupation, or suffer higher rates of stress. That hasn't prevented Dobson from purchasing $24,000 in advertising from the LookSmart search engine to promote his pre-execution interview with serial murderer Ted Bundy, where Bundy blamed his killing spree on early exposure to girlie magazines. The ad pops up when users key in words such as sex, nude, addiction and pornography. But the notion that Christian pastors or other religious activists seek "release" amidst a life of lonely, high-stress work which "drains" them, and then run into the church sanctuary to download adult images is questionable. According to the Wall Street Journal, the National Business Employment Weekly and the Jobs Rated Almanac, the category of "clergy" is not to be found in the list of the most 25 most stressful jobs. Indeed, Taxi drivers, surgeons, astronauts, race car drivers, public relations experts, realtors, stockbrokers, lumberjacks and other work categories are listed. And stress may be caused by a number of factors, even when affecting clergy -- everything from the "culture" of a work environment to physical discomfort. But dire warnings about stress and the seductive power of pornographic imagery may be a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts in religious circles. Statistics are hard to find, although it is known that many clergy are "workaholics," especially at certain times of the year. A mail survey conducted by Christianity Today, for instance, elicited responses from 580 clergy and another group of 1,199 pastors. More than two-thirds said they expected too much of themselves, and six out of ten cited the burden of administrative duties and budget related tasks, along with preparations for various meetings. Two-thirds said that they felt some degree of emotional stress at least once a month. But other occupations may be considerably more stressful The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health examined 130 different jobs, and found that that manual laborers, farm owners, and miners had the highest rate of deaths due to stress-related conditions. A keyword search at the NIOSH web site found 17 documents related to the term "clergy," but these discussed the need for family members to talk with neighbors, relatives and counselors (including clergy) in the event of accidents or natural disasters. The NIOSH survey "Stress at Work" discussed job stress at length without mentioning the clergy. It noted that surveys indicate somewhere between 26% and 40% of Americans workers say their job is "very or extremely stressful." It cited a variety of conditions resulting in stress including design of tasks, management styles and work roles. "Pornography" or "addiction to pornography" was not listed as a consequence of stress; instead, the NIOSH mentions headaches, sleep disturbances, low morale, cardiovascular diseases, increased risk of workplace injury, ulcers, short temper and other behaviors. Fabricating A Myth For A Religious Agenda? Is "pornography" comparable to an "addictive" substance or activity? And are clergy more prone to this "addiction"? Most of the material in Christian publications and web sites relies primarily on anecdotal testimony such as "I was a masturbation addict." In addition, a common theme is that many "addicts" are not aware of their problem, and that "recovery" can be found only through religious faith rather than professional therapeutic regimens. And "pornography" has joined a long list of other maladies lumped under the category of "addiction" along with alcoholism, co-dependence, "debt addiction," "internet addiction," "gambling" and "sex addiction." All of this casts suspicion on the claims of Dobson, Hayford and many religious-right leaders who, in their zeal to combat pornographic materials, now elevate images in magazines or on web sites to the status of a highly addictive substance like crack cocaine, which is capable of infiltrating even the ranks of the spiritually righteous. Pornographic materials may be a "temptation" for individual pastors, but there is no evidence presented to support the claim that clerics are more vulnerable as a group. Incidents involving clerical infidelity or, especially in the case of Roman Catholic priests, activities such as child molesting do receive considerable media attention. There is no indication that any of this, however, is related to the internet presence of adult materials, or pornography in general. But the angst over clerical vulnerability may reflect general disapproval of sexuality, and the fact that adult materials often (though not always) enjoy the protection of the First Amendment. Religion Today, in reporting the story of alleged clerical addiction to smut surfing, noted that Waters "said he has been astonished by how little shame there is in society associated with internet pornography." This is an expression of disdain for the burgeoning and upscale market in adult materials, not proof that men of the cloth of being captured against their will by pornographic images. Indeed, the Focus campaign against alleged internet sex addition promotes an agenda close to the heart of James Dobson. Waters segued from his claims about pastoral sex addiction, and denounced extramarital affairs saying, "We must realize that a higher level of intimacy is found in three-way relationship: between a married couple and God." ** NEW JERSEY GROUP ORGANIZING IN UNION COUNTY Those AANEWS readers living in the Newark, N.J. metropolitan area may want to check out a new Atheist/Freethought group being organized by Joe Zamecki. Just drop the Dunkin Donuts at Elmora/439 and Grand Avenue, or visit the group's new web site at http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/atheists -- or contact Joe directly through [EMAIL PROTECTED] The group meets at the Dunkin Donuts every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ** RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS... * For information about American Atheists, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please include your name and postal mailing address. * For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and other products, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kindly include your postal mailing address. * The American Atheist Magazine is now on the web! Check out select articles from the current or back issues, as well as special web-only features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheist.org * If you are a current member of American Atheists, sign up for our e-mail discussion group, aachat. We have over 120 participants who discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and lots more! Contact Margie Wait, the Moderator, through [EMAIL PROTECTED] or send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ABOUT THIS LIST... AANEWS is a free service from American Atheists, a nationwide movement founded by Madalyn Murray O'Hair for the advancement of Atheism, and the total, absolute separation of government and religion. You may forward, post or quote from this dispatch, provided that appropriate credit is given to AANEWS and American Atheists. Edited by Conrad Goeringer, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internet Representative for American Atheists is Margie Wait, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om